“At last, yes, that’s it. That’s the colour. Now, let me try it on. Hurry up, girl, or I’m going to be late. Ah, there is the changing room, is it not?”
Her ladyship’s ample rear disappeared behind the curtain of one of the booths. After a few minutes of grunts and sighs, Lady Theobald emerged and faced one of the full-length mirrors. “Zip me up, if you please. Ah, yes, that’s it. The right colour and a perfect fit. I’ll have this. It’s lovely. In fact, I think I’ll wear it to my luncheon. Hurry up, girl. Wrap up my other dress and charge my account, won’t you?”
Sonia watched her customer preen herself in the mirror as she packaged up the green dress that she had arrived in. Green, purple or lavender, Sonia didn’t think there was any colour that was Lady Theobald’s colour. And in her opinion the dress hung down from Lady Theobald’s cylindrical body like a sack. But why complain? The customer was happy and that was all that counted, she thought, as she watched her ladyship waddle contentedly to the row of lifts on the other side of the salesroom. She looked up at the clock on the wall on her right. A quarter to one. At one she could take her lunch break and she was looking forward to some fresh air. The store was airless and very warm, and either the stuffiness or Lady Theobald or both had given her a headache. After re-hanging the rejected dresses, she walked over to Miss Hetherington, the kindly, elegant, slim woman who was in charge of the floor and obtained her consent to take lunch. She hurried down the staff stairs and made her way to one of the Piccadilly exits. As she emerged into the street, she heard someone shout in Polish.
“Sonia. Wait, it’s me.”
She turned and saw her brother’s smiling face.
“What luck. I might have missed you. I thought I’d get here earlier and catch you inside, but I lost my way a little. It’s your lunch hour, yes?”
Sonia’s headache disappeared as she surveyed her handsome brother. She’d not seen him in his uniform before. On his two other brief visits he’d been in civvies and last night he’d been dressed for bed. He wore his air force hat jauntily to one side and looked, as he always had since he was a small boy, as if he had been up to mischief.
“Well, what shall it be? I just walked past the Ritz. Shall we eat there?”
“Don’t be silly. It’s a lovely day. You can share my sandwiches with me in the park. Look, I found some Polish sausage in a shop the other day. Come on. Follow me.”
Jan Sieczko put his arms around his sister and gave her a big hug. “Very well, my little sister. Lead on.”
Sonia took Jan’s hand and pulled him through a gap in the traffic to the other side of Piccadilly. They walked past St James’s Church, Hatchards, Fortnum & Mason and the Ritz and arrived at St James’s Park. The park was crowded. All of the deckchairs seemed to be occupied and Sonia led Jan some way into the park until they eventually found a relatively peaceful and shady spot of grass. Jan took off his jacket and laid it down on the ground.
“Oh, no, Jan. You don’t want to dirty your uniform.”
Jan put his hands on his sister’s shoulders and pushed down firmly. Sonia giggled and allowed herself to be seated. Jan dropped down beside her and began hungrily devouring the sandwich that Sonia gave to him while Sonia ate hers a little more delicately and watched her brother eyeing up the more attractive of the passers-by.
“See anything you like?”
Jan chuckled. “And what if I do? I need to make the best of my leave time. After all, this might be my last chance.”
Sonia’s face darkened. “Don’t speak like that.”